Kansas State researching Salmonella and E.coli

A team of seven researchers and six collaborators at Kansas State
University are embarking on studies on E. coli 0157 and
Salmonella.

"It's becoming more and more difficult to study these pathogens because you
have to be a jack of all trades," said T.G. Nagaraja, professor of diagnostic
medicine pathobiology at K-State's College of Veterinary
Medicine.

Nagaraja leads a research group that includes epidemiologists,
molecular biologists, production animal medicine experts and feedlot
nutritionists.

For the past five years, Nagaraja has been leading the
team on an E. coli 0157 research project supported by the US Department
of Agriculture that goes back more than a decade at K-State.

On-farm
intervention strategiesThe research focuses primarily on dealing with
the bacteria in cattle - however, the bacteria also can be found in pigs and
poultry. "Our goals are fairly simple," Nagaraja said. "We want to understand
the ecology of E. coli 0157 in cattle and come up with practical, on-farm
intervention strategies."

Narayanan is also working to develop a rapid,
molecular-based testing method for Salmonella that is more accessible. To
find out the serotype of the Salmonella, veterinarians and researchers
have to send samples to a laboratory in Iowa.

Resistance
The research team is studying antimicrobial resistance with the hopes of
preventing foodborne pathogens from becoming more dangerous to humans and
animals.

Nagaraja said that in the future the research team will pursue
the goal of eliminating 0157 and Salmonella.